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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · root · stock · swing · capital · sharp · fall · rule

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. root — of a word
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stock — goods
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. swing — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mine — for digging
  18. sharp — clever
  19. swing — to play on
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — shares
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com